Bolero by Ravel
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Iāve been asked if I can substitute harmonica for the sax solo on Duran Duranās Rio - any advice? Is this even possible?! Can anyone point me in the right direction? Cheers!
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Played in the original key, Iāve done it using a B minor tuned diatonic
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Thank you. I think that means I could use a C or Bb tuned harmonica in a higher position? Is that correct?
Hmm. The solo sounds to me to be in F# minor so the Bm works easily. I suppose you could play a B with appropriate bends or several other positions (eg. E 3rd position) and others with proper note selection and bends etc etc
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Thanks. I might have to invest in a B Minor harmonica then. I see that Lee Oskar do a Natural and a Harmonic version of a B Minor. Any idea which would be best - the natural?
Firstly, I would find out what key your band is playing the song in and what chords they are playing during the solo part so you get the right harp. Also, if you have an old Lee Oskar laying around you can purchase just a set of reed plates.
He labels his in cross harp position so you would order an F# NM in order to get a BNM plate/harp (the 2 draw should be the key of the music)
As a point of interest, I found this out on the web. āThe sax solo uses melodic motifs within the F# minor/major framework, often modulating between the two for dramatic effect in the solo section.
Since the solo is modulating between minor and major, you could use a regular B harp, just making sure not to play any major 3rds in the minor parts.
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@Stephen Ok cool @dblues has pointed you well. You want an F# Natural Minor Lee Oskar (Hohner labels their natural minor harps in a way that I find to be confusing/misleading.)
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Thatās fantastic - thank you so much for your help with this. Once Iāve worked it out, I will try to tab it - it may take a few months!
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LMK if you need any help
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Iām actually working on creating my first set of tabs in a long time. The song Iām making tabs for is actually a song from a video game franchise I hold dear to my heart, Sonic the Hedgehog. Thereās actually two songs (that I know of) from the series that features the harmonica, both of them being themes for the America themed area, Empire City, in Sonic Unleashed. Currently, Iām doing tabs for the day version of the Empire City theme.
Hereās the day theme:
Hereās the night theme:
Both versions are played on a key of D harmonica in second position (Key of A major)
I feel like learning and tabbing these out will be easier for me than the Mario Kart tracks. Especially since a couple of the Mario Kart tracks feature a Low F harp and I donāt have that key anymore (I blew out the 5 draw on my Low F Solist).
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After a long break itās back in my gob. Trying this one. This is only attempt number 3. For your kind critique
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Glad youāre back into it @toogdog. Great job, why would you want to give up playing when you can play like that? I can tell by the sound, that you enjoyed it.
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Just a beginnerā¦working on single note playing with songs like Blowing in the Wind and the title song from the Magnificent 7.
Also just started B2B.
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Been learning Stone Fox Chase, its actually fairly easy, but sounds complex. Great fun to play as well. As a beginner this is the frst full song I have learnt to.play.properly. Some of the best players even put more complexability into the rhythm with ghost notes and make it sound amazing.
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If you practice these songs and get the rhythm correct you have gone a long way to playing what you want. The tougher songs just take more time. I am a big fan of Moon River to practice slow play and any mistake shows up. Sounds and looks like an easy tune but playing it sot on is not as easy as one may think. Its not the title of a song but how well its played that counts.
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@HarpinBobbyMcB i havenāt heard that nursery rhyme for years. That brought a smile to my face. And yes I did sing along 
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Sometimes itās the simple things which help us grow 
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